Peace
I normally keep my mouth shut on issues involving politics and race. I feel that sometimes speaking on such a sensitive topic can lead to many problems in my everyday life, so I try and keep everything to myself. However, with the recent riots in Baltimore, I feel like I need to express my opinions somewhere and get it all off my chest.
It is a disgrace to this country, which has been striving to be equal and free for its entire existence, that people are disrespecting it in such a way. I understand that people may feel like they have been wronged in recent history. Regardless of these situation, NOBODY should be rioting in an entire city, beating up and killing hundreds of innocent people, just because they feel that they need to get “justice”. There are better ways to get what you feel you deserve than with violence. Race is still a very prominent issue in this country, and although many people believe it is white people against black people, it is just as bad the other way around. Race will always be an issue in this country until everybody decides to treat each other with respect. Sure, I know plenty of other white people who do not respect black people on the same level as white people, and I find it pathetic. But, it is a two way street, and I have encountered so many situations where black people will not even speak to me because I am white. I was raised knowing that all people are equal, no matter what. I believe that ALL lives matter, ALWAYS. This should be known to everyone. People should not be going around and saying “BLACK LIVES MATTER MORE TODAY” or “WHITE LIVES MATTER TOO” because ALL LIVES ALWAYS MATTER EVERYDAY.
This is where the biggest problem arises. People think that it is okay to feel that the color of their skin can justify that their lives matter more at this time, when it doesn’t. What if this situation was reversed? What if white people were brutally attacking others because they feel that they deserve to get justice? There would be an uproar. It doesn’t matter who you are. Everyone deserves to be treated equally. People cannot attack others because they feel they need justice. It sickens me that we live in a world where violence is the answer. Martin Luther King Jr. worked so hard to fight for equality in this country, and he did it the right way. He did not attack anybody, he did not kill anybody. He stood his ground and waited until justice was served the right way. Everyone needs to take a look back and understand the power that he had. People respected him and wanted him to succeed in his mission, because he handled it in the right way. Attacking and killing innocent people is only going to make things worse. It is going to add fuel to the fire.
I hope that someday, everyone will be peaceful and we can live as one. I hope one day, everybody, blacks and whites, will get the race chip off their shoulder. I hope that one day, violence will never be the answer in these situations. Don’t you want peace?